Imagine a person goes to their medical doctor complaining of exhaustion, chronic headaches and stress. An effective doctor wouldn’t just prescribe bubble baths and yoga. They would look deeper, examining underlying causes to find a real solution.
Yet, for years, schools have treated teacher burnout and overwhelm like a personal wellness issue instead of a system-wide crisis. According to recent teacher statistics, K-12 teachers are burned out, and many are considering exiting the profession.
No amount of self-care can fix initiative overload, lack of support or rigid curriculum demands. As Shari Harvey says, “You can’t yoga your way out of burnout.” The real issue is working conditions and expectations, which require systemic change — not just self-care. To retain great teachers, we must tackle root causes, not symptoms.
Jessica, a dedicated classroom teacher, and Donna, a retired educator and virtual coach, offer practical solutions to the three key causes of teachers feeling overwhelmed: school initiatives, lack of classroom support and rigid curriculum demands.
Overwhelming school initiatives
One of the biggest frustrations is leaders adding new initiatives without taking anything off teachers’ plates. Leaders may explain the “what” and “why” of the initiatives; however, teachers are often left to figure out the “how.” As a result, teachers feel like they’re drowning.
What can teachers do?
Jessica says, “If you are in a position to speak comfortably with your principal, which I so gratefully am, just ask ‘What is your goal for me? What are the exact learning outcomes you would like for my students?’ Then teach. Teach with your heart and soul.” Teachers must seek clarity from the administration and ask for what they need.
Should you need assistance broaching topics with your principal, consider the suggestions in this How to “Manage Up” article co-written by Donna.
What can leaders do?
When teachers feel overwhelmed by school initiations, leaders can lighten the load, improve support and prevent burnout by prioritizing, simplifying and refining how initiatives are introduced and sustained.
- Ideas for leaders: Immediate, Short-Term, and Long-Term Leader Actions for School Initiatives
- Guide for leaders: A Step-by-Step Guide to Streamline School Initiatives effectively and sustainably
Feeling unsupported in the classroom
Teachers don’t enter the profession because it’s an easy job. They do it because they believe in making a difference in students’ lives. Yet, when faced with increasing challenges like large class sizes, increasingly diverse classrooms, multilingual learners and behavior challenges, many teachers feel powerless and lack administrative support to create the safe and supportive environment they know their students need.
Jessica explains, “We don’t teach because we like the ‘job.’ We teach because we know that every one of our students deserves to feel safe, loved and able.”
However, when teachers are left to navigate these challenges without proper support, clear expectations, or adequate resources, their ability to fulfill this mission is compromised. School leaders must ask: “Are we truly providing teachers with the structure and tools they need to make students feel safe, loved and able?”
Jessica says, “If you want people to go above and beyond, you must make them feel good. And if you want them to be successful teachers, you must let them teach. If they aren’t strong teachers, that’s another issue — but if people don’t feel valued, they won’t be valuable.”
What can leaders do?
Teachers thrive when they feel supported, empowered and valued. A strong school culture doesn’t just demand excellence — it nurtures and supports it. Leaders create a positive, sustainable work environment where teachers can do their best by listening, reducing burdens, taking actionable steps and providing real solutions.
- Ideas for leaders. Immediate, Short-Term, and Long-Term Leader Actions for Supporting Teachers in the Classroom.
New or dense curriculum
Implementing a new or dense curriculum is frustrating when unfamiliar or rigid pacing, standardized lessons and heavy mandates leave little room for flexibility or differentiation. Teachers know their students best but often lack the autonomy to adjust instruction. Planning ahead is another challenge — many are stuck planning day-to-day, creating a cycle of stress, inefficiency and burnout.
Jessica explains, “Not being able to adapt lessons to students’ needs is just heartbreaking. Deflating. Cataclysmic. All of the things. The biggest impact is a teacher’s sense of uncertainty, which then creates apathy from the students, and that is a hard train to stop.”
When teachers are forced to push forward despite student struggles, the result isn’t just frustration — it’s a breakdown in engagement and effectiveness.
What can leaders do?
When teachers have the autonomy and resources to adapt instruction through strategic actions by leaders, they can maintain confidence in their teaching and keep students engaged in meaningful learning.
- Ideas for leaders. Immediate, Short-Term and Long-Term Leader Actions for Curriculum.
- Form. The Teacher Curriculum Feedback Form ensures that leadership decisions are based on teacher input, making curriculum implementation more manageable.
Reducing burnout for teachers
To learn more about improving teacher working conditions and reducing burnout, check out Chase Mielke’s Illuminate the Way on reducing workload and increasing autonomy and Jill Handley & Lara Donnelly’s What Can I Take Off Your Plate? for a structural and sustainable approach to countering teacher burnout.
Teachers don’t burn out because they don’t care — they burn out because they care deeply yet feel powerless under the weight of overwhelming initiatives, lack of classroom support and rigid curriculum constraints.
Burnout isn’t a personal failure; it’s a system failure that school leaders can fix by creating an environment where teachers feel supported, valued and trusted. When we support teachers as whole people, we ensure better outcomes for every student they teach.
Opinions expressed by SmartBrief contributors are their own.
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